Is deception just as bad as telling an outright lie?

The statement that “Deception is just as bad as telling an outright lie,” bears a number of social implications, in that it exists within what I like to call, the grey spectrum of morality. What this means is that whether it is in fact right or wrong wholly depends on the context in which it is used.  That being said, within the realms of media and communication, I am of the belief that deception no matter its magnitude is as bad as telling an outright lie. To lie, is to present an intentionally false statement with the motive of presenting someone a skewed version of reality so that you might advance your own intentions. For this reason deception falls within the same category of falsehood; though it might seemingly misconstrue the truth to a lesser extent, a lie is a lie, no matter how big or how small. What’s more, as countless government cover-ups would attest to, when found out deceptions can prove to me be most unpleasant. Relationships are built upon trust, be it between a married couple or a government and it’s people. When one of these parties deceives the other, regardless of their motives or incentives, the foundation on which their relationship was founded, truth is fractured, and is some cases completely severed. On this basis of this argument, one might see how deception is just as bad as telling an outright lie, the ends being just the same. A Real world out working of this perspective would be that of the Bush administration dealing’s with global media during the Iraqi conflict. In an effort to sway public opinion and boost support for the war, the Bush admiration resorted to manipulation of the truth, and deception in order to accomplish their objectives. Though this worked for a time, the truth was eventually uncovered, and the say of the world’s foremost power was forever undermined, bringing into question the ideals and principles of the entire western world. Lying and deception offer only a short-term remedy to any crisis and are never worth the fallout they bring about, rather as the writer of John suggests we should opt for the truth, for it is by this quality that all people are free.